MARKET DATA: GOTTA CATCH IT ALL

The summer of 2016 saw Pokémon Go take the gaming world by storm. From playing it while driving, to breaking into police stations for a rare catch, the world wasn’t short of ridiculous app-related stories that summer.

Catching Pokémon in specific areas brought the game to life. It relied on one key feature – a huge, consistently running global network, connecting the app to the world and constantly transmitting data, much like with financial markets.

It only seems like yesterday that Pokémon cards were physically traded in the school yard whilst, at the same time, Wall Street traders were using clumpy phones and stamping tickets. Fast forward a few years and both these trading activities have taken leaps in how they operate.

Technology has revolutionized the way both gaming and trading operate. In fact, Pokémon Go has even just moved into trading in their own right by launching a Pokémon trading feature. Now both trader and gamer alike rely on the network to execute their profitable trades!

The invisible network underpins it all. For the app, you need to be connected via your smartphone. Then, in the same way, you don’t see Pokémon strolling around, you don’t see trading data zooming overhead. From executing trades right through to internal communications, the world’s financial centers rely on its hugely expansive and complex network.

Maximum liquidity can only happen when a firm has the right technology behind them

In both cases, a poor network means business losses – network outages are unacceptable. Players will simply lose patience if the app has a poor connection. An outage in financial markets is paralyzing and traders stand to lose profits to competitors.

The more reliably a trading firm is connected to the global network, the higher their potential is. It’s imperative that market data is transferred without fail from one point to another. Failing this puts firms at risk of losing money and, in some cases, hefty fines from regulators should data be insufficient.

From executing trades right through to internal communications, the world’s financial centres rely on its hugely expansive and complex network.

Market participants need an agile approach to their network, with easy access to back-up routes.

Similarly, imagine losing the chance to catch that much-desired rare Pokémon which you’ve managed to track down because the connection’s too slow… The opportunity slips through your fingers. Infuriating.

For financial traders to do their job effectively, they need access to other markets as quickly as possible to ensure they are achieving best execution. Maximum liquidity can only happen when a firm has the right technology behind them. For this, they need the fastest possible low-latency connection to maximize their profits.

Whether gaming, trading or simply using google maps to get from A to B, we’re all fully dependent on a huge web of data-transferring infrastructure – connecting us to all corners of the globe. And in finance, like in gaming, you can’t be the best without the best network.

If you’re a financial trader, you want the best network infrastructure available. Contact our team to find out how we can improve your connectivity.